Inspiration, ideas and information to help women build public speaking content, confidence and credibility. Denise Graveline is a Washington, DC-based speaker coach who has coached more than 100 TEDMED and TEDx speakers--many featured on TED.com--and prepared speakers to testify before the U.S. Congress, appear on national television, and deliver industry keynotes. She offers 1:1 coaching and group workshops in public speaking, presentation and media interview skills to both men and women.

In the large auditorium where I teach one of my classes, I constantly stop my students midsentence so I can run up and down the aisles to get within hearing distance.

Turns out, of course, that she needed hearing aids. The column takes a humorous and heartfelt look at what it feels like to go from not hearing much of anything to hearing even the smallest sounds, such a revelation that Lim began announcing her new aids to all and sundry. And apparently, she's not the only speaker in her department who needs them:

At my department’s holiday party, I sat between two longtime professors.“Look, I have hearing aids!” I greeted them. Then I told them how tough it had been to hear my students.One of them nodded. “I can’t hear my students,” she said. “They all mumble.”

Read this one if you--or a fellow speaker--complains about your audiences, and take Lim's advice: Be a healthy speaker and get your hearing checked!

For many speakers, gettting started is the hardest part--and I don't mean the first few paragraphs of your talk, but simply making the commitment to accept an invitation or look for one. Social media guru and blogger Chris Brogan this week offered ways to get started as a speaker that include solid tips on making connections, asking for speaker fees and even demonstrating your skills without having to give a speech. (My favorite: recording yourself on video, easy to do with your laptop and/or a Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder, for which you can handily buy a small desktop flexible tripod.) Check out Brogan's tips to see whether they can help you get started!

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